Based on the last few days of heat, I decided to see if Dog Lake had finally thawed for the year. I have been wanting to fish this lake before Fish and Wildlife stock it, in an attempt to hook into a large carry over. Much to my surprise, when my Oldsmobile arrived at the lake today, I was welcomed with not one sheet of ice on the lake. There were still patches of snow in places along the shore, but for the most part the snow was gone as well. As you can tell from the snow hat, it was still quite chilly up there, especially fishing in the shadows. I fished from approximately 12:30 to 4:30 in the afternoon, along highway 12. I switched between fluorescent pink power eggs and chartreuse power eggs. I fished off the bottom with a fair amount of weight and approximately eighteen inches of leader. The water temperature was just about one notch above freezing, which I think had something to do with the lethargic behavior of the fish. Nonetheless, I still had several bites, only one of which I was able to capitalize on. The picture below is that fish, a feisty 17 inch rainbow. The shore has changed slightly from last year. A few trees must have fallen during the winter (on the highway 12 side of the lake), and are blocking a few of the shore fishing spots. All and all, it was a very peaceful day. Aside from a rafter that fished an hour or so, I was the only soul on the lake today. I will definitely be back when the water warms a little.

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